Protect NIH Funding

Making NIH Heart and Stroke Research a National Priority

Advocates discussed the need for increased NIH funding with Congress during the association's lobby day.

Although remarkable progress has been made in the fight against heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease, there is no cure for America’s No. 1 and most costly killer. Robust research, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), remains our country’s best hope for discovering innovative ways to prevent, treat and find cures for heart disease and stroke.

That’s why the association is urging Congress to make NIH-supported heart and stroke research a national priority. Currently, the NIH invests just four percent of its budget on heart research and a mere one percent on stroke research. These funding levels do not correspond to research opportunities, the number of Americans afflicted or the economic toll of cardiovascular disease. Nearly 44 percent of Americans are likely to face some form of cardiovascular disease by 2030, and the cost of cardiovascular disease is expected to increase from $579 billion in 2012 to $1.208 trillion by 2030.

A 2016 appropriation of $33 billion would allow the NIH to begin to restore a 20 percent loss in purchasing power it has experienced over the past decade because of medical research inflation. This shortfall comes at a time when other countries are doubling their investment in science. Without this 10 percent increase to the agency’s budget our nation will miss out on a time of unprecedented scientific opportunities that could help save lives, support jobs, spur economic growth, drive innovation and preserve U.S. leadership in medical research.

Now is the time to invest in the NIH to support live-saving medical discoveries. Federal support for NIH is an investment in our country’s future.